A solid number of
students including the QM Marxists joined staff from the UCU
and Unison in solidarity with their struggle against pension
reforms. From as early as 7am, students gathered at the main
gate to help set up picket lines. All entrances to campus
were covered. Students played a significant role in boosting
the strength of the pickets, and helped effectively close
off several of the main entrances.
Queen Mary University
QM Marxists
Students and staff united
in struggle.
A solid number of
students including the QM Marxists joined staff from the UCU
and Unison in solidarity with their struggle against pension
reforms. From as early as 7am, students gathered at the main
gate to help set up picket lines. All entrances to campus
were covered. Students played a significant role in boosting
the strength of the pickets, and helped effectively close
off several of the main entrances.
Following a campaign on
campus, and the widespread publicity surrounding the strike,
far fewer students showed up to attend classes than on a
normal day. Those that did were encouraged to not cross the
pickets, and to boycott their lectures and classes in
solidarity with those on strike. The importance of standing
together in struggle was stressed, so as to present a united
resistance to the government’s attacks.
There was widespread
support for the strike, with many motorists beeping and
cheering. Even the police, usually one of the most
reactionary layers of society stopped to give their support,
citing their own impending struggle against job cuts as a
reason. This exposes the government’s mistake in attacking
all sectors of society at the same time, and highlights
their weakness.
Around midday, students
and staff travelled on mass to Lincolns Inn Fields, where
the march through central London was assembling. Those who
were on the march will have easily seen through the lies of
David Cameron and the media, who attempted to pass it off as
a ‘damp squib’. In fact as many as 100,000 workers were out
in force, in what marks a massive step forward in the labour
movement.
The question now is
‘what’s next?’ We must mobilise for a 24 hour strike
involving all workers, public and private sector, and put
pressure on the Labour bureaucracy to support the working
class. At Queen Mary, we have learned valuable lessons in
organisation, and will be better prepared for the future.
Importantly, the staff have seen they have the backing of
the students, who they can rely on to support them in future
actions.
